I used to drive 10 km/h over the speed limit because I thought I was saving time. Then, about four months ago, my husband put a bumper sticker on my car. It states, “Neighbourhood Pace Car, I drive the speed limit.” This simple sticker has completely changed my attitude about the speed limit. I can’t believe it!

Now that I have this sticker, making a point on my “back,” instead of being afraid of being caught by the police, I feel that I had to live up to the sticker. It’s hard for me to change my routine and to leave five or 10 minutes earlier for work because I have children. So I had to tell myself: “Calm down, it’s OK to be late by five minutes.”

To my surprise, driving the speed limit didn’t make me late. I found that, depending on my timing, I encountered fewer red lights; sometimes I even arrived at work earlier. I came to realize that, in urban areas, it’s the traffic lights that make the difference in driving time, not the speed limit.

If you don’t believe it, give it a try. You can get a free bumper sticker from Safe Kids Canada on the web. Try it for at least 30 days, because it’s said that it usually takes a person that long to change a habit.

Lingxia Li

Victoria

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